Sacrifices for Love
by Fox McCloude
Summary: True love always demands sacrifice. Sometimes big, sometimes small, but it's always thinking about the other's happiness before yours. Like for Misty, to learn how to cook for Ash, o for Serena, to push Ash to be with the girl he really loves, even if it's not her. PokéShipping, unrequited AmourShipping. Post-"More than Meets the Eye". Cover image by Suki90


**Sacrifices for Love**

**By Fox McCloude.**

**Disclaimer: **Pokémon and all related characters belong to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo and GAMEFREAK. All rights reserved.

* * *

_**Cerulean City…**_

Misty Waterflower was good at many things. She was an excellent swimmer, one of the best Gym Leaders in the Kanto region, and she'd occasionally showcase her hidden talents for singing and dancing at parties.

Cooking, however, wasn't one of her best areas. Unlike the aforementioned others, she didn't have any natural talent to coast on, which forced her to get help. It would take a lot of practice with trial and error to get it right, but this was important for her.

After all, she wanted to prepare delicious stuff with all her heart for the man she loved.

That didn't make it any less annoying sometimes, though. Like right now, she had to wait as she watched impatiently the oven's door.

"Hmmm… why can't this go any faster?"

"Just five more minutes," said her friend from behind. Today, she was also her teacher for this bakery lesson.

Serena was stopping by Cerulean, and when she visited the Cerulean Gym, she offered to help the Sensational Sisters with the costumes for their upcoming show. Everything was going pretty well, until Violet tried to pull off a complicated move during a rehearsal, and injured her foot. Normally, the sisters would substitute each other should something like that happen, but when the four of them were needed on stage, that wasn't an option.

With the tickets sold out and without time to find a replacement, they practically dragged Serena as a substitute. Then again, her being as nice as she was, she couldn't refuse, thus she joined the cast just for that one time.

Though before she left, and after trying some of her homemade sweets, Misty asked Serena to teach her how to do something like that, something simple but delicious, for a special person. It didn't take a genius to deduce who she was talking about, so the Kalosian girl was more than happy to agree.

The ***PING!* **on the oven's door signaled them that their little experiment was ready, much to Misty's relief. Grabbing the gloves to open the door, she extracted a metallic tray with four muffins. The sweet aroma quickly filled the kitchen, making both girls smile.

"Hmm… this smells really good," Misty said.

Serena for her part, carefully used a wooden toothpick to test them. Once she did it on all four, she smiled with satisfaction. "Yeah, perfect texture, well done."

"Not too bad for my second attempt, huh?" Misty said, feeling rather proud of herself.

Serena nodded. "Now all that's left is to decorate them. Is the cream ready yet?"

"Ready and waiting," the redhead declared, holding up the pastry bag.

They both awaited the muffins to cool off, and Misty proceeded to put the cream on them in a spiraling pattern, then to sprinkle them with berry dust. After using a cooling fan to get the cream solid, they were ready.

"Okay, let's try them," Misty said as she grabbed one and took a bite.

Then a few seconds later, her eyes opened wide and she furrowed her mouth, before swallowing with difficulty and letting out a "Bleaaah!" in disgust.

"What's wrong?" Serena asked in confusion, grabbing another muffin to try it herself. And she soon understood Misty's reaction herself. "Ack! Misty, what did you do with the cream? It was supposed to be bittersweet, not just bitter!"

"I did as you told me. I mashed the berries, then whipped them up until they were spot on with…"

"Did you use the exact amount?" Serena asked.

Misty was about to say "yes", but she stopped right before answering. The Kalosian gave her an interrogating look, awaiting expectantly.

"Did you?" she asked again.

"Well… the recipe said I needed to add ten berries of each. But I only had eight Oran Berries, so I figured… I just need to take two of each of the others to make up for it…"

Serena sighed and slapped her forehead, shaking her head in denial. "No wonder this happened. We're gonna have to do it again. The amount of berries _does _matter, if you're not careful the cream won't taste good."

"Excuse me, teach, I just made a mistake," the redhead replied crossing her arms. "Geez, this is way harder than I imagined."

Serena however smiled at them. "In your defense, at least the muffin itself turned out well. You're progressing fast."

No kidding. Compared to her first attempt, this was a huge leap. The previous time she ended up burning them, when impatience got the best of her and she tried to speed things up raising the oven's temperature.

That was pretty much telling her she should stick to the recipe and not to try and "improvise" again.

"We can try tomorrow again," Serena said. "We just need to get more berries to make more cream. Surely the third time will be the charm."

"You sure?" Misty asked. "I don't want to waste any more of your time, surely you must have things to do."

"Hey, don't forget it was _you _who asked me for help. Never leave a friend in need, remember?"

Misty stared at her. Serena was as upbeat as ever, and she'd been very patient despite the occasional failures. She'd happily agreed to help her with this, and knew how important it was. Misty would always be grateful for it.

"Okay. But we better hurry, the shop will probably close soon."

Serena nodded, and both started cleaning the table and pick up the utensils. The lesson was over for the day, but she'd be ready to continue tomorrow.

Deep inside, the Cerulean Gym Leader admitted to feel a bit frustrated over her failure, but she wouldn't let it put her down. She was doing this for the person she loved the most in the world, and one or two minor mishaps wouldn't stop her. She'd try it over and over again until she got it right.

…

Once they put the ingredients away at the kitchen, both girls sat at the living room to chat, and amidst their topics of conversation, Misty decided to show Serena her photo album, full of memories of her first journeys throughout the Kanto region and beyond.

The Kalosian giggled at the sight of some photos, such as one showing their group of friends with many other people and Pokémon, and Misty's Psyduck lying on the floor as if he'd tripped over, or another where they had to catch a boy who fell on them. Misty later explained he was the photographer and had set up the camera's timer to appear in the photo along with them.

As years and years of memories went by, they finally reached the present: a selfie they'd taken from Ash's cellphone, and Misty had printed to put it in the album. There they were, the two of them and Pikachu smiling for the camera, and the sunset over the sea as background.

"You look really happy there," Serena commented. "It must be very romantic, to sail over the sea on a Lapras' back."

"Yeah, it is," Misty admitted. "Though that was the first time we could do it alone. I liked it more that way. It was also the day we started officially dating."

"Well, it took him longer than I expected, but I'm glad he finally did it," Serena said. "Ash really deserves to be happy with the person he loves, and who loves him back."

Misty stared at Serena. For the redhead it was no secret that the blonde Kalosian was also in love with Ash, and maybe it was a bit weird to think she'd be happy for them. Sometimes, she actually envied a few of her qualities: she was a lot more patient with the crazy stuff they usually went through, she was a great cook, and last but not least, she was more sincere about her own feelings.

"Sometimes I wonder how he didn't fall for you," Misty said sincerely. "In fact, when he rejected me I even thought maybe he was about to give you a chance."

"No way," Serena replied, shaking her head. "I didn't know then, but a few years later, I understood why he never saw me that way."

"Even though you gave him his first kiss?" Misty asked.

"Arguably," the blonde replied. "You beat me for his lips a few years ahead."

"That doesn't count," Misty remarked. "I was just giving him CPR. You were his first real kiss."

"I don't know about that," Serena replied with a smile. "I'd call what you did a kiss of life. There's hardly bigger proof of love than that."

Misty opened her mouth, but found herself unable to refute the argument. Admittedly, leaving aside the fact that at the time, the only thing in her mind was to save Ash's life (and not only because of her own feelings) the context itself would have been very romantic. Of course, Ash never came to realize it until several years after, when she confessed it herself, and at the time there were too many things going on to think about the implications.

"That day you saved his life and much more," Serena said. "That alone set you much higher up than me."

"Why do you say that?" Misty asked, and Serena just smiled at her.

"Because Ash always liked girls who are strong, adventurous and brave. At least, he told me he always liked that of you."

Misty stared at the photo. Truly, while Ash could be immature, clueless and sometimes even irritating, she wasn't that much better when they met. Many times the two were mean to the other just for fun without provocation, which got her off on the wrong foot and made it hard for her to be nice to him. Even if deep down she wanted to show that side of herself more often.

If she hadn't heard it from his own mouth, she'd find it hard to believe that Ash was attracted to her since then, even if he was never upfront about it when they traveled together. Maybe he wouldn't have kept it to himself if she had restrained herself some of those times.

"Tell me, weren't you sad when he rejected you?" Misty asked. "I felt crushed; you have no idea how hard it was to not to break into tears in front of him."

"Being rejected by the person you love always hurts," Serena admitted. "I know he too felt bad for hurting me, but at least he was sincere when he told me he couldn't see me that way. I don't regret having these feelings for him; to me it was enough that he knew I had them. He'll always be a very special person for me."

"You're a good girl, Serena," Misty said. "If there's something Ash has always been good at, that's picking up good friends wherever he goes. I'm really glad I met you."

"So that means you don't hate me?" the Kalosian asked, half-joking, half-serious.

Misty simply laughed in amusement. "Hate you for what, for falling in love with Ash just like me? That's a stupid reason to hate someone. Besides…I'd be a hypocrite considering that I fell in love for similar reasons."

They both remained silent. They could be very different from each other in interests and personalities, but if there was something that brought them together was that special affection they both had for Ash Ketchum. They met him in different stages of his life, but they always admired his courage, determination to achieve his dreams, and overall his kind heart, which no matter the mistakes he made, was always on the right place.

"You know, you were lucky to meet him in his earliest stage," Serena said. "When I saw him after so many years, I had made myself an idealized image of him. I'd never imagined an Ash who could be selfish, a sore loser, or depressed over suffering a defeat."

"I could never imagine an Ash who'd be perfect," Misty remarked. "I acknowledge I even like some of his flaws, because they're a part of him. He's grown a lot since then and has left them behind… for the most part, but some of them still creep in sometimes."

"You're not kidding." Serena nodded. "When I met him after so long, I was so excited, I ended up making an incomplete image of him. It was like I saw him like someone amazing, almost perfect, and it sometimes blinded me to his flaws. Not even the most obvious ones, like jumping of a tower or towards an active volcano to save a Pokémon."

"To ask that of him is like asking him to stop eating," Misty intervened. "Though who am I to talk? There were times that if someone didn't stop me, I'd have jumped right behind me."

"Something else you have in common, don't you? To risk yourselves to save someone, human or Pokémon, and there's no force capable of stopping you," Serena nodded in agreement, before taking on a more serious demeanor. "Though sometimes, for his own sake, I think it wouldn't hurt him to be just a little selfish. He has the right to think about himself every once in a while, to be happy, doesn't he?"

"I think that's a virtue and a flaw of his at the same time," Misty said with melancholy in her voice. "When he gets into his head that he's doing something for someone else's sake, there's no way to get it out. Just like the time he rejected me."

"I remember he was the same when I asked him for that last date as friends," Serena added. "Not even then did he cave in."

Misty gave the honey-blonde girl a look. The 'last date' part caught her attention, and her friend quickly noticed. Even without words, her inquisitive look made it clear she was dying to hear what happened then. Not out of jealousy, of course, just simple curiosity.

"Well, if you really need to know, this happened when you announced your engagement…"

…

_The Nimbasa amusement park was a great touristic attraction, and the Ferris Wheel was the favorite meeting point for dating couples. Many had gone there to have their first kiss or just to share with that special someone the city's night view from the highest point._

_But that wasn't the reason Serena had agreed to meet with Ash that day. Should the tabloids or any normal person spot them, no doubt they'd assume they were on a date. And maybe they were, but just as friends. She knew that, and so did Ash. She needed to talk to him about something very important, and that was the perfect place to do so with nobody to interrupt them._

"_Sorry for the wait!"_

_Serena turned around. The Pallet boy was dressed in his casual clothes, his faithful partner nowhere to be found, as she'd asked him specifically for that night that it would be just the two of them._

"_Don't worry, I've just arrived here," she replied softly, showing the best smile she could muster. "Well, shall we get in?"_

_Ash nodded, and they both entered the Ferris Wheel together. The ride would last a while, and it'd be more than enough so they could talk. This was important after all._

_As soon as they began ascending, Serena gave a quick glance at the city's neon lights. Once upon a time, she'd be eager and perhaps even excited about being there, to share that romantic panorama with Ash. Even when she knew her feelings weren't returned, she was happy just with having them. He'd always be a very important person for her, as a great friend and her first great love._

"_Amazing view, isn't it?" he asked. "Thanks for the invite."_

"_Think nothing of it," she replied. "Ash… we really need to talk."_

_Anybody seeing the scene from the outside, would probably believe Serena was planning to confess her feelings. But she'd already done that before, and he'd given his answer. Even if he never said the words, she knew the real reason, and she doubted his feelings had changed since then._

"_Did you know, Misty's going to get married soon?" she asked. Better to go straight to the point._

"_Yeah, isn't it great? I'm glad she found someone, she deserves it."_

_Ash said it all with a wide smile. But unlike those smiles he usually sported, those who made her fall in love with him, Serena could see it was fake, or at least forced. She'd known him long enough to notice when he was bottling his real feelings._

"_You sure you're fine with that?" she asked. "You're just letting her marry someone else?"_

"_Why should I interfere? She's free to choose who she wants to marry."_

_Serena could see the trainer was trying to dodge the topic. He evidently was uncomfortable talking about it and preferred to just get it over with quickly. If it depended on her she'd just drop the issue, but she couldn't do that._

"_Even if she still loves you? Even though you still love her?"_

"_By Arceus, please don't you too start with this, will you?" the trainer said. "What's with everybody, aren't you all tired of repeating the same thing over and over?"_

"_Everybody?" Serena asked in confusion, and then realized what he meant. "Wait, you've talked to the others about this?"_

_Ash didn't answer, but his sudden scowl said it all. Knowing him, maybe he believed everyone had agreed to pester him about the issue, but Serena knew that wasn't the case. Or at least, she hadn't spoken to anybody before asking Ash to meet with her there._

_By then, their ride had gone up about one quarter up, and the wheel was doing a brief stop to let the passengers admire the view before continuing. Of course, they weren't even looking at it._

"_Serena, Misty and I are just friends. _Best _friends, even. It's always been like that, and that's the best way," he said with fatigue in his voice. "I'm tired of saying it over and over to everyone."_

"_Don't lie, you've never been good at that," Serena said. "We both know your feelings for her have always been much deeper."_

_Ash looked away, neither confirming nor denying the facts. The Kalosian could see he was fed up with talking about that topic, that she'd been opening old wounds and it hurt her to do so. But she had to say what needed to be said._

"_Ash, you know I've always been in love with you. And a part of me still is. Part of me should feel happy because you rejected Misty. But do you know why it doesn't?"_

"_No, I don't," he replied. "What you've just said makes no sense."_

"_Yes it does," Serena retorted. "Because that part of me knows, deep down, that you didn't want to reject her. You want to be with her."_

"_Does that matter?" he replied in a cutting voice, much to the girl's surprise. "Misty's an amazing and wonderful girl. She deserves someone better than me. Someone who can make her happy. And if she found him, I should be happy for her."_

"_Are you happy because you should, or because you want to?" Serena insisted._

_Once again they remained silent. The only noise they heard was the people's chattering down below and the Ferris Wheel's engines at work, as it approached the highest point of the ride._

_They didn't speak a single word as they reached the middle point. It was a shame they were missing the view from there, but this was a lot more important. While Serena didn't say a thing, she kept staring at him the whole time, making it clear she'd await his answer for as long as she had to._

_Silence became more uncomfortable, and since he didn't break it, she had to do it instead. "Ash, why are you still dodging my questions? Stop thinking about Misty for a moment, and think about yourself. How do _you _feel about this?"_

"_Terrible, okay?!" he shouted at the top of his lungs as he stood up. "I feel terrible, Serena, angry at myself for letting her go! And disgusted at the thought that she's gonna marry another guy! Happy?!"_

_Serena reflexively pulled back, as she didn't expect him to explode that way._

_Fortunately, the Ketchum boy seemed to take notice of what he did and sat back again, looking away from her as he tried to regain composure._

"_Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to shout. You don't have any blame in this."_

"_No, but I'm still your friend, and I care about you," she replied, trying to sound comprehensive. _

_She knew very well that anger outburst wasn't aimed at her. It was aimed at himself, but that wasn't healthy either. _

_She had to wait for a bit until he calmed down enough to speak again. "I'm an idiot. I let her go when I had the chance to be with her, and now I'm gonna lose her forever. And that hurts because I know I deserve it."_

"_Don't you dare say that, Ash Ketchum," Serena said raising her voice and standing up from her seat._

"_Why not? It's the truth. I made her suffer a lot because I never noticed her feelings. She'll never be happy if she stays with me."_

"_How can you be so certain of that, if you never gave yourself a chance? Did you even at least _try _it to see if things worked out?"_

_The wheel went back on the move, and Serena was involuntarily forced back on her seat. The descent had started, and Ash still had no answer to the question she'd just made. _

_Then again, that silence was all the answer Serena needed._

"_Ash, during my trips across Hoenn, I met many people who knew about you," she said to break the silence. "Everyone told me really good things about you."_

"_Is that so?" He raised his look again. Now she had his attention, it was time to press._

"_Yeah, they told me about how much you helped them solve their troubles. How much you inspired them to chase their dreams and fulfill their goals. They were all different people, but they had one thing in common: they were all happy. It was wonderful to see you had made so many people smile._

"_That made me feel inspired, you know? It inspired me even further to chase my dream to bring smiles to everyone, not just in Kalos, but all over the world. Not to mention to fulfill the promise I made you when we separated."_

_The descent continued, and Ash was seemingly left speechless. But Serena wasn't done talking just yet. She still had a couple more of things to say to him._

"_You're being unfair to yourself, Ash. You've made so many people happy by touching their lives, myself included. Don't you think you too deserve a bit of that happiness? To share it with the person you love?"_

_She couldn't stand seeing him that way. Ash was a great trainer, and had made himself a successful career in the years following his Kalos journey. He'd never give up until the very end, and he'd never let anything nor anybody to stop him from reaching his goal._

"_You're a great guy, Ash," Serena said. "But if there's something I don't like about you is that you can't be sincere about your feelings. I told you mine after all, and so did Misty. Why can't you do the same?"_

"_I don't know. Love life was never my forte, and you know that well," he said trying to feign irony._

_Serena wanted to reply, but she was forced to concede that point. He'd never sought a relationship with anybody, but not because he didn't want to. It was partly because there was only one person he saw as worthy of his feelings, and partly because he didn't think himself of good enough for her._

_Not even when she herself confessed directly that she loved him. How wrong he was._

_The ride was about to reach its end, and Serena knew her time was running out. She'd said just about everything she had to say, except for one last thing. Something only a person who had loved him that way could say._

_If Misty hadn't told him already, she'd have to be the one. Inside, she prayed to the heavens this would snap him out of it, for his own sake._

_With that in mind, he stood up and took a deep breath._

"_Ash, even though I was hurt by your rejection, I don't regret confessing my feelings to you. If I were in your place, at least I wouldn't keep them bottled inside, regretting that the person I loved never knew how dear they were to me."_

_And with those words, the door opened wide. Serena stepped out without a hurry, although Ash didn't try to stop or follow her. Maybe going around on his own would give him time to think of everything she'd told him._

…

"After that, we didn't speak for weeks," Serena finished. "Not until, well, everything came to light about the scandal with your engagement."

"Without knowing you saved something more than our relationship," Misty said with gratitude. 2If Ash hadn't decided to visit me that day, maybe… ugh, I don't want to think about it."

The redhead held her own shoulders, as a shiver went down her spine while she tried to wipe that horrendous thought out of her mind. She didn't want to think about… him, in any way. That was a chapter of her life she'd shut down and wanted to keep it that way.

"What matters now is that you're together," Serena assured her. "And that you guys can be happy, right?"

"Right." Misty agreed. "But still… I'm a little sad to think you sacrificed yourself for us."

"True love means sacrifice," Serena said. "It's about thinking more about the other persona than yourself. Even Ash, as wrong as he was, had the best of intentions."

Misty nodded. On account on her own experience (and some from others) she knew how being in love could make you go crazy or simply make bad calls. That was the only mistake she'd never be able to berate Ash for in his lifetime, one he made for what he genuinely believed was the best for her, even if it came at the cost of his own happiness.

"So then… don't you regret not chasing after him when he was free?" Misty asked. "I assure you, I wouldn't have hold it against you if you did."

"I know, but I'd never forgiven myself," Serena replied. "Unlike Ash, I wasn't sacrificing my own happiness, or anybody else's. You guys are together now, and I'm happy for you. Besides, just because he was my first love, it doesn't mean he'll be the only one."

The Gym Leader looked at the Pokémon Performer, who smiled brightly at her. There wasn't a shred of sadness in Serena's eyes, just sincerity highlighting every single word she spoke. Misty almost felt a small tear forming in her own eyes, as she really appreciated all the support Serena had given them despite her own feelings for Ash.

Or maybe, she did so _because _of those feelings.

Without warning, the redhead hugged her friend with gratitude, catching her off-guard. Though after getting over the sudden gesture, she returned it in full.

One way or another, even if one was the love of Ash's life, while the other continued to just be his friend, their feelings for him would always bind them together.

"But," Misty let go of Serena, "we could be even happier if I learn to make sweets with love for him."

"That's what I'm here for, am I not?" Serena winked at her. "Let's rest for tonight, we'll get started tomorrow first thing."

Misty would have readily continued that same night, but she nodded, since it was rather late. They'd have the advantage that tomorrow, as the older sisters would be out visiting Violet, who was still seeing the traumatologist to check on her injured ankle. As Misty had to stay to watch over the Gym, they'd have the kitchen all for themselves.

She was anxious to try it again, and this time, she was determined to make it right. Ash would be impressed when he learned she made those muffins herself for him.

* * *

_**A few days later…**_

"Gyarados, triple Fire Blast!"

"ROAAAAARRR!"

The Cerulean Gym's arena had turned into a sea in tempest, with the waves furiously hitting the rock platforms. As a Mega Gyarados shot fire kanjis out of his jaws in quick succession, a transformed Greninja skipped from one platform to another dodging the blasts upon impact, although he was running out of places to stand on.

Just like the Pokémon, both trainers were on the edge. A battle for old times' sake, as they couldn't resist the temptation to gauge their strength against each other. Plus, they had fun while at it.

"Greninja, use Night Slash!"

"Gyarados, Aqua Tail!"

Greninja produced a pair of dark energy blades, and jumped high up in the air, ready to descend upon Gyarados' head. In response, the latter pulled back and raised his giant, blue-glowing tail to block it, stopping the slash with a huge water splash mixed with dark energy. The frog fought valiantly, but the size and strength of the marine serpent prevailed in the end.

"Way to go, Gyarados!" Misty congratulated.

"Don't party just yet!" Ash said. "Greninja, use Double Team!"

"Nin, nin!"

Greninja jumped in the air to multiply himself all over the place. Misty knew exactly what he and Ash intended to do to end the match.

And at the same time, she knew what _she _and Gyarados would do in response.

"Prepare your Hyper Beam Gyarados, on my cue!"

Gyarados roared affirmatively and charged up the orange power between his jaws. It was all a matter of milliseconds, the only window of opportunity they had. Should they fire their attack too soon, Ash-Greninja would dodge and counter with his own. Should it be too late, they'd cancel one another and Gyarados would be rendered motionless due to the recharge, wide open for the coup de grace.

"Water Shuriken!" Ash called.

Just like she expected. Greninja summoned the water star, absorbing all clones surrounding it to make it gigantic. A powerful attack that had become one of their favorite finishers (along with the Ice Shuriken she taught them), but with one glaring, fatal flaw.

A half-second delay when Greninja had to turn the shuriken around before throwing it, so as to concentrate all energy into it.

"NOW!" the redhead shouted.

Gyarados roared out loud, firing the powerful orange beam towards his tiny adversary. For a fraction of second Misty caught that Greninja managed to throw the giant water star, before being completely engulfed by the Hyper Beam's power. The star continued to fly forward raising a huge splash upon impact, while on Greninja's side there was a massive explosion that raised smoke over the waves.

Once the view was clear, Ash and Misty observed the situation. Gyarados was still upright, yet panting in exhaustion after using the last of his energy for that attack. Meanwhile, Greninja was nowhere to be found, while his trainer began looking all over for him.

"Greninja? You okay?"

No response. A few seconds later, a silhouette came out floating out of the air, revealing a ninja frog all spread out and back in his normal form. His eyes were blank and clearly wasn't in condition to continue.

"Haha, score one for the home team! Well done, Gyarados!" the redhead celebrated as she posed over one foot, while also winking and touching her Keystone.

Gyarados roared in triumph, while his Mega Evolution vanished, just before Misty returned him. Ash sighed, but followed suit with Greninja, before congratulating him for doing his best. He immediately walked around the arena to meet with his darling girlfriend and congratulate her as it was due.

"Amazing as always. Gyarados' attacks were much stronger today."

"We've been working out," Misty replied with a hint of pride. "Well, I guess that leaves my record against you in 27 wins, 8 draws and 32 losses."

"Hey, of course not," Ash protested. "That's 33 wins, and 26 loses for me."

"Oh yeah? Didn't know you were counting," she said defiantly.

"Unless you're counting as a victory that time we fought for Togepi," Ash pointed. "Technically, _I _won that time."

"Aren't you counting our first encounter here as a victory?" she replied. "I'll remind you that time it was undecided."

"Even though I'd have won all the same," he retorted crossing his arms.

Both of them looked away from each other for a while. Afterwards, they looked into each other's eyes and burst into laughter. They finally high-fived each other and Ash caught the girl by her waist to lift her off the ground and deliver a big kiss.

"Well, since you lost, I guess it's my turn to decide the movie we're watching tonight," Misty said. "There are some muffins in the fridge down below, can you bring them?"

"Can I eat some on the way back?" he asked.

"Be my guest. And if there's some ketchup to spare, you can give it to Pikachu."

While Ash went to the kitchen, Misty went to get the couch, pillows, the big screen and the remote control ready. The rest of the snacks were waiting for them at the table, including the popcorn bowl and some soda cans. The redhead made herself comfortable and grabbed the remote to tune the channel, as she grabbed a handful of popcorn.

A few minutes later, she saw with satisfaction how Ash came bringing the tray full of muffins, still munching on one half-bitten in his hand, clearly enjoying it. Judging by the numbers, he'd probably eaten half of them on his own, and that made her feel proud of herself. Meanwhile, the electric mouse squeezed a plastic bottle of ketchup himself.

"So, what movie are we watching?" Ash asked as he sat next to her, still with a mouthful, while Pikachu rested on his lap.

"It's an musical," Misty replied as she turned up the volume. "It's called _Kataomoi_. I think you're gonna enjoy it."

"If you say so." Ash leaned closer and handed her a muffin. "Want to try some? They're pretty good."

"No, you can eat them all," she said without a care. "I made them myself."

Misty didn't need to look to know Ash almost choked on the muffin, and he had to drink some soda to push it down his throat. The redhead held back the urge to laugh as she heard him cough, and when he finally turned around, she noticed Pikachu was pounding his own chest trying to un-choke himself.

"Say _what_?"

"You heard me. I made them myself, especially for you," she said with a big smile.

Ash stared at her with a clear I-don't-believe-you face. Fortunately, Misty had all the evidence in her phone, having asked Serena to record her while she prepared everything, and showed it to Ash to fully convince him.

"No way, you really learned to bake them yourself?"

"Took me three tries, and a lot of wasted dough," Misty confessed. "Serena was a very patient teacher all the while, I'm grateful for that."

"You made all of these… for me?" he asked. "Not that I complain, but why?"

"For nothing," she smiled again. "Just a little sacrifice I did for the man I love. Besides, if we're gonna live together one day, I need to learn how _not_ to kill you with my cooking, right?"

Ash chuckled, and Misty immediately embraced him as the movie started. According to her, the title meant "Unrequited Love", which pretty much gave an idea of what they were about to watch. A story of how far somebody could go for the person they loved.

Learning to bake those muffins was a sacrifice on Misty's part, but compared to the one Serena made so they could be happy, it was a small one. She'd always be grateful to her Kalosian friend for it.

And just like the protagonist of the movie they were about to watch, Misty was willing to do anything for Ash's happiness. Now it wasn't just his, or hers, it was _theirs_.

**FIN**

* * *

**Author's notes:**

So, here I am with another story, a bit shorter than I usually do. For reference, this one is set between "More than Meets the Eye" and "Feelings and Desires", by my estimation somewhere close to the six-month mark. I originally conceived the idea as an extra scene I wanted to put in either of those two, but I decided to cut it off and make it a separate story, since it connected very little to the others' overall plot. Still, I wanted to show how Serena views Ash and Misty's relationship, and how she dealt with the former's rejection. That also ups by one the number of fics where they appear as good friends, not trying to kill each other or having the friendzoned one angst horribly or worse.

Again, I thank **Suki90, Shadechu Nightray** and **PinkStar** (have I told you girls you're the greatest?). Also, part of the central scene before the flashback was inspired in the drabble "Fix You" from **ClaudiaDaro** (heads up: despite the title it's in Spanish, not English). I'm not too keen on reading short stuff, but that one's pretty good exploring the perceptions Misty and Serena have about Ash, and also has the plus of being part of that scarce minority I mentioned above. For my part, this is my little message to a certain sector of shippers who are detractors of both girls, directing their hate towards them only on the basis that "they get in the way for their OTP" and nothing more, ignoring legitimate flaws both have as characters, or worse, increasing them to exaggerated levels. Sure enough, were the positions here reversed, Misty would act the same way; she might be temperamental and clingy, but she's not a bad person who doesn't care about others' feelings. And Serena is not an obsessive yandere as many usually see her, no matter if her infatuation with Ash was quite a bit shallow at least at the beginning. If there's something _all _of Ash's companions share, it's the fact that regardless of what kind of people they are, they always have their hearts in the right place.

Lastly, for a little trivia, the title of the movie they're about to watch is a reference to the first musical album recorded by Mayumi Iizuka, who voices Misty in the Japanese version of the anime. A really beautiful song, for the record, and the lyrics fit somewhat with this shot's overall theme. Until next time, don't forget to let me know what you think about this. Gotta catch ya later!


End file.
